Dragons set to acquire lefty Clark

NAGOYA – The Chunichi Dragons have reached an agreement to acquire San Diego minor league infielder Matt Clark, a source familiar with the deal told Kyodo News on Saturday.

The 26-year-old California native has no major league experience but hit .290 with 22 homers and 77 RBIs in 121 games with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate Tucson in 2012.

Clark, who bats lefty and mainly plays first base, comes highly recommended by Padres assistant batting coach Alonzo Powell, a former player for the Dragons, who won three consecutive batting titles from 1994 to 1996 in the Central League.

The Dragons have been busy this winter trying to fill the void left by slugger Tony Blanco, who has signed with the Yokohama BayStars. Clark will be the fourth foreign player to join Chunichi once the deal is formally announced.